Authorities Visiting Liquor Bar-Brothel Harass Local Rohingyas

The Burmese (Myanmar) authorities giving visits to a liquor bar cum brothel harass the local Rohingyas in Maungdaw for ransom, the local sources say

By Rohingya Eye Maungdaw, Arakan State

(RVision TV) — Two Rakhine men called ‘U Tin Bo’ and ‘U Kyaw Aye’ run a liquor bar cum brothel at a spot by the ‘Concrete Express Way’ at the Natala Rakhine village of Saindar (Than Dar) village tract in southern Maungdaw. The prostitutes working at the brothel are also said to be Natala Rakhine girls from the same (Natala) village.

“U Tin Naing, the head of the forestry department in the region and the members of Burmese Border Guard Police (BGP) from the nearby camps visit the place enjoy the alcohol and with the prostitutes that

While coming to enjoy at the brothel, the forestry and the BGP personnel stop the poor Rohingya firewood collectors and lumberjacks going to the forest for woods. They harrass them and beat them and extort huge of money which is beyond their (the poor Rohingyas’) capacity,” said a local in Southern Maungdaw on the condition of anonymity.

Furthermore, it has been learnt that earlier, they used to charge Kyat 200 from the firewood collectors and the lumberjacks under on pretext as entrance fees to the forest. Recently, it has increased from Kyat 200 to Kyat 500 and now, Kyat 1,000. Besides, on the way out of the forest, they charge Kyat 3,000 per piece of wood-log from the lumberjacks and Kyat 2,000 per bundle of firewood from the firewood collectors.

There is a population of 4,000 in the village of Saindar (Than Dar). Most of them are poor and make their ends meet by cutting wood-logs and gathering firewood in the forest and selling them in the bazaars/markets. However, Since they have to pay almost all of their profits to the above-mentioned head of the forestry department, they are on the verge of facing a broken livelihood and starvation.